Tag: shutting

Google is shutting down its beleaguered social network sooner than expected in the wake of a new security issue that affected 52.5 million users. Google Plus received its initial kiss of death in early October, when the company revealed that a security bug had exposed the account information of 500,000 users, including their names, email addresses and occupations. At the time, Google planned to shut down the social network by August 2019. However, it now plans to shut down Google Plus by April 2

Google is shutting down its beleaguered social network sooner than expected in the wake of a new security issue that affected 52.5 million users.

Google Plus received its initial kiss of death in early October, when the company revealed that a security bug had exposed the account information of 500,000 users, including their names, email addresses and occupations. At the time, Google planned to shut down the social network by August 2019.

But in a blog post Monday Google wrote that it discovered a second bug that allowed the profile information of 52.5 million users to be viewable by developers, even if the profiles were set to private, using one of Google’s application programming interfaces, or APIs, for six days in November. Once again, the available data included information like users’ names, email addresses, occupations and ages.

Google said that the bug did not give third-party apps access to users’ financial data or passwords and that it didn’t find any evidence that the private profile information was accessed or misused. However, it now plans to shut down Google Plus by April 2019, and access to its APIs in the next 90 days.

Google’s initial security bug raised hackles in Washington and with the general public because The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Google didn’t disclose it for months because it feared regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage.

Monday’s disclosure comes a day before Google CEO Sundar Pichai is set to testify before Congress about transparency and accountability.

“We have always taken this seriously, and we continue to invest in our privacy programs to refine internal privacy review processes, create powerful data controls, and engage with users, researchers, and policymakers to get their feedback and improve our programs.”

Google plans to kill chat app Allo by the middle of next year, the company said in a blog post, confirming a report earlier on Wednesday about the product’s imminent demise. Despite owning the world’s dominant smartphone operating system in Android, Google has never been able to create a chat experience to rival Apple’s iMessage or Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Google will focus fully on the development of Messages, its other chat app for Android phones. That initiative was the b

Google plans to kill chat app Allo by the middle of next year, the company said in a blog post, confirming a report earlier on Wednesday about the product’s imminent demise. Despite owning the world’s dominant smartphone operating system in Android, Google has never been able to create a chat experience to rival Apple’s iMessage or Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Google will focus fully on the development of Messages, its other chat app for Android phones. That initiative was the bGoogle shutting down Allo Cached Page below :Company: cnbc, Activity: cnbc, Date: 2018-12-06 Authors: jillian donfro, stephen lamKeywords: news, cnbc, companies, social, yeargoogle, google, products, earlier, android, allo, apps, users, chat, shutting, work

Google plans to kill chat app Allo by the middle of next year, the company said in a blog post, confirming a report earlier on Wednesday about the product’s imminent demise.

Despite owning the world’s dominant smartphone operating system in Android, Google has never been able to create a chat experience to rival Apple’s iMessage or Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp.

Allo, which launched two years ago to much fanfare, will only work until March 2019, at which point users will have to download any conversations they want to save. Meanwhile, Google will focus fully on the development of Messages, its other chat app for Android phones. Earlier this year, Google announced that it was working with mobile carriers on a new Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard, an upgrade to classic SMS texting, to make messaging work better across Android devices, and bring users features like read receipts and seamless group chats.

That initiative was the beginning of the end for Allo, which saw its product lead defect to Facebook earlier this year.

Google also said in its blog post that it plans to support another one of its chat apps, Hangouts, until it makes two of its enterprise apps, Hangouts Chat and Meet, available for non-paying users.

A Google employee tweeted earlier on Thursday that Meet and Chat would launch for regular consumers next year:

Google has long had a complicated, messy strategy when it comes to chat apps, and has axed a laundry list of communication products, including the original GChat, the social network Buzz, and the collaboration tool Wave. Earlier this year, it announced it was shutting down its social network Google Plus after it discovered a security bug that left private profile data exposed.

The threat of cyber espionage goes above and beyond endangering some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, industry experts warned on Wednesday, saying “entire countries” are being targeted. It comes at a time when major corporations are ratcheting up internal security measures to better protect themselves from cyberattacks, following a spate of high-profile data breaches in recent months. Speaking at the ADIPEC oil summit in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Wael Fattouh, a Saudi-based PwC partne

The threat of cyber espionage goes above and beyond endangering some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, industry experts warned on Wednesday, saying “entire countries” are being targeted.

It comes at a time when major corporations are ratcheting up internal security measures to better protect themselves from cyberattacks, following a spate of high-profile data breaches in recent months.

Speaking at the ADIPEC oil summit in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Wael Fattouh, a Saudi-based PwC partner specializing in technology risk assurance, said: “At some point (hackers) were after a quick buck, just wanting to make some money and steal a few identities.”

“But now you have teams of people dedicated to coming up with creative ways of shutting down entire countries – not just companies.”

When John Lewis heard that Google+ was shutting down after the discovery of a security bug that left private profile data exposed, it felt like a crushing blow — even though he could see it coming. “Plus has long been Google’s orphan child,” Lewis told CNBC by phone on Monday after Google announced that it’s shuttering the 7-year-old service in the coming months. Lewis is among a tiny but fiercely loyal cadre of Google+ users who stuck with the site for years, undeterred even as Google carved it

When John Lewis heard that Google+ was shutting down after the discovery of a security bug that left private profile data exposed, it felt like a crushing blow — even though he could see it coming.

Lewis, a freelance writer who has spent nearly eight years living an isolated life in the Costa Rican rainforest, starts almost every morning sipping coffee while chatting with friends on Google+ and reading his feeds on the social network.

“Plus has long been Google’s orphan child,” Lewis told CNBC by phone on Monday after Google announced that it’s shuttering the 7-year-old service in the coming months. “I had hoped that it would stay that way forever.”

Lewis is among a tiny but fiercely loyal cadre of Google+ users who stuck with the site for years, undeterred even as Google carved it into pieces or outsiders declared it dead. It had become so irrelevant as a landing spot that, by Google’s own admission, 90 percent of user sessions lasted less than five seconds.

But for people like Lewis, that was all part of the charm.

Unlike Facebook, which has thrived by getting billions of users to share baby photos alongside ads for shoes, and Twitter, where bullies and bots have proliferated, Google+ has remained a quiet social enclave where users say they’re able to engage in meaningful conversations and get useful feedback.

Most notably, Google+ fans say the site’s lack of ads, the ability to write long posts, and a focus on topics to connect people — instead of existing friendships or public figures — created a platform that encouraged real, sustained dialogue with strangers.

“It’s really been a lifeline for me,” said Lewis, who created a group called “Google+ Mass Migration” in the hopes of salvaging his adopted community. “The social interactions I’d have there I couldn’t get anywhere else.”

Following streams of criticisms about potential conflicts of interest and a handful of protests, Ivanka Trump is shuttering her fashion brand. Ivanka said she was hoping to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in the future and focus on her role in Washington. The Ivanka Trump brand — which sells clothing and accessories including handbags, perfume and high heels — saw strong sales growth after its inception in 2014, current President Abigail Klem said. The Ivanka Trump brand has licensing

Following streams of criticisms about potential conflicts of interest and a handful of protests, Ivanka Trump is shuttering her fashion brand.

Roughly one year ago, the president’s daughter stopped working directly with the company to serve as a senior advisor at the White House.

The brand’s 18 employees were informed Tuesday that the business would be ending for good. Ivanka said she was hoping to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in the future and focus on her role in Washington. She said she doesn’t know if she will ever go back to working in fashion.

“When we first started this brand, no one could have predicted the success that we would achieve,” Ivanka said in an emailed statement to CNBC. “After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners.”

The Ivanka Trump brand — which sells clothing and accessories including handbags, perfume and high heels — saw strong sales growth after its inception in 2014, current President Abigail Klem said. It had recently rolled out an e-commerce platform to capture shoppers moving online.

But with President Donald Trump in the White House, critics of her father’s politics have put Ivanka’s brand at the center of boycotts and other protests. The brand was notably pulled from Nordstrom and Hudson’s Bay in recent months, with those department store chains citing poor sales performance.

More recently, Chinese trademarks issued to Ivanka’s brand raised questions over whether the first daughter was receiving special treatment from a foreign government. The Chinese government had awarded her fashion line seven new trademarks in May, online records said.

Even while she was in the White House, Ivanka continued to receive profits from her brand despite stepping down from her leadership role within the organization, according to CREW, a nonpartisan watchdog group that’s been critical of the Trump administration in the past. She was also still able to view certain financial information.

The Ivanka Trump brand has licensing agreements with partners globally, including G-III Apparel Group, the clothing company behind names such as GUESS, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi’s. G-III said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that net sales of Ivanka Trump-licensed apparel climbed more than 60 percent, to $47.3 million, in 2017 from the year before.

Those licensing agreements aren’t going to be renewed but will “run their course” until they expire, a spokesperson for the Ivanka Trump brand told CNBC. That means items can still be purchased from retailers such as Dillard’s, Bloomingdale’s, Zappos and Amazon — until they’re out of stock.

“I know that this was a very difficult decision for Ivanka,” Klem said about the news.

The Wall Street Journal first reported about the brand’s closure Tuesday afternoon.

Tesla has been struggling to find solutions to manufacturing bottlenecks on the new assembly line that produces the Model 3, a sedan intended for volume production. Musk also told staff to alert him of “any specific bottlenecks” on the production line. The company shut down the Fremont assembly line last month, and also in February, for a few days to rework. Musk last month said the company was producing 2,000 Model 3 cars a week. In order to meet the goal, Musk said last month that all Model 3

Tesla has been struggling to find solutions to manufacturing bottlenecks on the new assembly line that produces the Model 3, a sedan intended for volume production. An over-reliance on robots has complicated that task, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has acknowledged.

Musk, Tesla’s billionaire founder, told employees it was “quite likely” the company would reach a rate of 500 Model 3s per day this week, or 3,500 a week, automotive news website Electrek reported on Tuesday, citing an internal email. Musk also told staff to alert him of “any specific bottlenecks” on the production line.

The company shut down the Fremont assembly line last month, and also in February, for a few days to rework. The April shutdown, combined with the upcoming one, would add up to the planned 10 days of stoppages.

Musk has said the planned stoppages are intended to give the company time to perform upgrades that will help it reach a goal of building 6,000 vehicles per week by the end of June. Musk last month said the company was producing 2,000 Model 3 cars a week.

In order to meet the goal, Musk said last month that all Model 3 production would begin working around the clock. Reuters learned that the teams working on general assembly have already switched to three shifts, a schedule that helps maximize capacity and flexibility.

Teams working on the body of the vehicle – where the external shell of the car is assembled – are working in two 12-hour shifts.

Cambridge Analytica is shutting down, the company said Wednesday. Cambridge Analytica hired a third party investigator, Julian Malins, to investigate the allegations of wrongdoings. Here’s Cambridge Analytica’s full statement:Earlier today, SCL Elections Ltd., as well as certain of its and Cambridge Analytica LLC’s U.K. affiliates (collectively, the “Company” or “Cambridge Analytica”) filed applications to commence insolvency proceedings in the U.K. Regarding the conclusions set forth in his rep

The political research firm with ties to the Donald Trump campaign has been caught in a whirlwind of privacy and data collection allegations in recent months.

The research firm was accused of improperly gaining access to the sensitive user information of as many as 87 million Facebook users.

Its now-ousted CEO Alexander Nix was also recorded on hidden camera implying the research firm used manipulation and bribery to learn information on political candidates.

“Over the past several months, Cambridge Analytica has been the subject of numerous unfounded accusations and, despite the Company’s efforts to correct the record, has been vilified for activities that are not only legal, but also widely accepted as a standard component of online advertising in both the political and commercial arenas,” the firm said in a statement.

Cambridge Analytica hired a third party investigator, Julian Malins, to investigate the allegations of wrongdoings. The firm said Wednesday that investigation concluded that the allegations were not “borne out by the facts.”

Cambridge is shuttering in part due to the legal fees associated with that investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal who first reported the closure.

“Despite Cambridge Analytica’s unwavering confidence that its employees have acted ethically and lawfully, which view is now fully supported by Mr. Malins’ report, the siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the Company’s customers and suppliers,” the firm said. “As a result, it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business, which left Cambridge Analytica with no realistic alternative to placing the Company into administration.”

Here’s Cambridge Analytica’s full statement:

Earlier today, SCL Elections Ltd., as well as certain of its and Cambridge Analytica LLC’s U.K. affiliates (collectively, the “Company” or “Cambridge Analytica”) filed applications to commence insolvency proceedings in the U.K. The Company is immediately ceasing all operations and the boards have applied to appoint insolvency practitioners Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP to act as the independent administrator for Cambridge Analytica. Additionally, parallel bankruptcy proceedings will soon be commenced on behalf of Cambridge Analytica LLC and the certain of the Company’s U.S. affiliates in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Over the past several months, Cambridge Analytica has been the subject of numerous unfounded accusations and, despite the Company’s efforts to correct the record, has been vilified for activities that are not only legal, but also widely accepted as a standard component of online advertising in both the political and commercial arenas. In light of those accusations, noted Queen’s Counsel Julian Malins was retained to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations regarding the Company’s political activities. Mr. Malins report, which the Company posted on its website today, concluded that the allegations were not “borne out by the facts.” Regarding the conclusions set forth in his report, Mr. Malins stated: “I had full access to all members of staff and documents in the preparation of my report. My findings entirely reflect the amazement of the staff, on watching the television programmes and reading the sensationalistic reporting, that any of these media outlets could have been talking about the company for which they worked. Nothing of what they heard or read resonated with what they actually did for a living.” Despite Cambridge Analytica’s unwavering confidence that its employees have acted ethically and lawfully, which view is now fully supported by Mr. Malins’ report, the siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the Company’s customers and suppliers. As a result, it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business, which left Cambridge Analytica with no realistic alternative to placing the Company into administration. While this decision was extremely painful for Cambridge Analytica’s leaders, they recognize that it is all the more difficult for the Company’s dedicated employees who learned today that they likely would be losing their jobs as a result of the damage caused to the business by the unfairly negative media coverage. Despite the Company’s precarious financial condition, Cambridge Analytica intends to fully meet its obligations to its employees, including with respect to notice periods, severance terms, and redundancy entitlements.

Three years ago, Amazon launched a program called Vendor Express to make it easier for wholesalers to get inventory onto the e-commerce site and avoid having to go through the company’s invite-only Vendor Central portal. Amazon said Monday that it’s closing Vendor Express. “After careful evaluation, we’ve decided to retire Vendor Express and refocus the business on other selling programs.” Vendor Express was launched in 2015 as a new channel for small businesses to sell products in bulk to Amazo

Three years ago, Amazon launched a program called Vendor Express to make it easier for wholesalers to get inventory onto the e-commerce site and avoid having to go through the company’s invite-only Vendor Central portal.

It was a short-lived experiment.

Amazon said Monday that it’s closing Vendor Express. The company told sellers in an email, which was obtained by CNBC, that it will stop taking orders as of May 21, and that the program will become “permanently unavailable” starting Jan. 1, 2019.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve the selling experience on Amazon,” the email said. “After careful evaluation, we’ve decided to retire Vendor Express and refocus the business on other selling programs.”

An Amazon spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vendor Express was launched in 2015 as a new channel for small businesses to sell products in bulk to Amazon, whether it was their own private label brand or other items that they wanted to unload. Unlike Vendor Central, which is targeted at large brands and sellers and requires a thorough vetting process for approval, Vendor Express offered a quick onramp for smaller merchants to have products listed under the tag, “sold by Amazon.”

The measure’s fate in the Senate remained in doubt as the clock ticked ever-closer to the deadline at the end of Friday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell late Friday failed to garner the 60 votes he needed to advance the House bill to a vote on the floor of the Senate. Yet several Republicans – including Utah’s Mike Lee and Arizona’s Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic – apparently voted against it. Fellow Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has insisted he would not vote fo

The federal government was on the verge of a shutdown Friday, largely because of some senators’ exasperation with short-term measures to keep the government funded, as well as a desire to enshrine soon-to-expire protections for people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday passed a four-week continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Feb. 16, but it did so with the support of nearly the whole GOP caucus and only bare minimum backing from Democrats. The measure’s fate in the Senate remained in doubt as the clock ticked ever-closer to the deadline at the end of Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell late Friday failed to garner the 60 votes he needed to advance the House bill to a vote on the floor of the Senate. Some Democrats, such as Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, whose states supported President Donald Trump in 2016, appeared to have voted to end debate and move on to a vote on the measure itself. Yet several Republicans – including Utah’s Mike Lee and Arizona’s Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic – apparently voted against it.

Other than a few red state Democrats, the caucus was mostly united against the stopgap bill. “We oppose the House Continuing Resolution, which punts budget discussions until mid-February. Congress should remain in session with no recess until we work out a long-term bipartisan budget deal that addresses all issues,” Virginia Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said in a joint statement Thursday.

Republicans, from Trump to House Speaker Paul Ryan, have attempted to saddle Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic colleagues with the blame for a potential shutdown, accusing them of brinksmanship over protections for immigrants.

The GOP added a six-year reauthorization of the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program to the funding plan to put more pressure on Democrats, framing their decision as a choice of whether to support the program. At least one Democratic senator — newly elected Doug Jones of Alabama — cited CHIP funding in a decision to back the spending bill.

Yet Democrats aren’t the only thorns in McConnell’s side. Fellow Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has insisted he would not vote for another short-term funding extension. In a candid interview with MSNBC on Friday, Graham said that passing the 30-day House bill would extend “chaos.” Later Friday, however, he released a statement that said he would support a stopgap measure that would keep the government open until Feb. 8 – more than a week less than the four-week bill passed by the House.

Graham has also emerged as an ally for Democrats on saving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which Trump has set to expire March 5. Last week, Graham thought he had a chance for bipartisan deal to preserve DACA and enact other immigration reforms, but he said Trump’s position changed swiftly.

“He spoke compassionately about immigration, tough on security, wanted bipartisanship. Two days later, there was a major change,” Graham told MSNBC.

Graham, who voted against advancing the House bill late Friday night, said in an earlier tweet that he was glad Trump and Schumer met to work on an agreement – and that he is confident Trump would end up sealing a deal.